[coolfish1103]

Originally Posted by faboozadoo15

What's wrong with Cinci?? Sheesh.

- No women's history.
- Too many events in North America being big ones.
- No need to smash Premier 5s back-to-back to create dreadful fields.

As of now there are:

- 2 Premier Mandatory in US/North America
- 1 Premier Mandatory in Spain/Europe
- 1 Premier Mandatory in China/East Asia

- 1 Premier 5 in Doha/Middle East
- 1 Premier 5 in Canada/North America
- 1 Premier 5 in US/North America
- 1 Premier 5 in Italy/Europe
- 1 Premier 5 in Tokyo/East Asia

= 4 North America
= 2 Europe
= 2 East Asia
= 1 Middle East

I won't mind if the Cincy one goes to South America or Africa.

[JarkaFish]

Cincy needs to stay simply because it's one of the few faster outdoor hardcourt tournaments on tour these days.

[améliemomo]

even in Premier events the seats are empty, those in USA (Indian Wells,Cinci someone?) You never been in Stade Pierre De Coubertin to say there's no atmosphere. I went there when Amélie was playing and I can assure there's NO BETTER ATMOSPHERE than there for an indoor tournament. You cant replace Paris and it's History, especially not for cold and big stadium like we see in China Open.

[JarkaFish]

Originally Posted by améliemomo

even in Premier events the seats are empty, those in USA (Indian Wells,Cinci someone?) You never been in Stade Pierre De Coubertin to say there's no atmosphere. I went there when Amélie was playing and I can assure there's NO BETTER ATMOSPHERE than there for an indoor tournament. You cant replace Paris and it's History, especially not for cold and big stadium like we see in China Open.

Problem is that there's no more Amelie.

Bartoli is like the anti-Mauresmo tbh.

[Kim's_fan_4ever]

I was there for semis last year. Sure, the stadium was not full but there were lots of people and the atmosphere was nice Also, these are the first rounds with hardly any great names so what do you expect. Not like the tournaments in so highly attented...it's quite the opposite, isn't it.

[coolfish1103]

Originally Posted by JarkaFish

Cincy needs to stay simply because it's one of the few faster outdoor hardcourt tournaments on tour these days.

That is true.

Well, it's not like I want an event in Wuhan anyways.

[améliemomo]

Originally Posted by JarkaFish

Problem is that there's no more Amelie.

Bartoli is like the anti-Mauresmo tbh.

no she was supported last year , she's not amélie but she 's fighter and always enjoying playing there so the crowd will be there imo

[Exordes]

Originally Posted by coolfish1103

As of now there are:

- 2 Premier Mandatory in US/North America
- 1 Premier Mandatory in Spain/Europe
- 1 Premier Mandatory in China/East Asia

- 1 Premier 5 in Doha/Middle East
- 1 Premier 5 in Canada/North America
- 1 Premier 5 in US/North America
- 1 Premier 5 in Italy/Europe
- 1 Premier 5 in Tokyo/East Asia

= 4 North America
= 2 Europe
= 2 East Asia
= 1 Middle East

I won't mind if the Cincy one goes to South America or Africa.

Then the good candidates could be Brazil (São Paulo / Rio de Janeiro) or South Africa (Cape Town / Johannesburg). If and when both of those countries are capable to organize the FIFA World Cup, then I am sure they can handle a big tennis tournament too. At least FIFA has tried to promote football in various continents in recent decades: Mexico (1986), Italy (1990), United States of America (1994), France (1998), South Korea & Japan (2002), Germany (2006), South Africa (2010), Brazil (2014), Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022). I think ATP/WTA should also try to find a right kind of balance with traditionally strong regions (where tennis is and has been popular for years) and new regions to promote the tennis.

[NashaMasha]

Originally Posted by coolfish1103

- No women's history.

WHAT? It was won by the likes of Pauline Betz Addie and Alice Marble , It's one of the oldest tournament with great history and this 15 years break in women's part doesn't make it look like "Beijing"


As for attendance in Paris - it's the same city where RG has a huge crowd and attendance. It's just WTA's fault that their non Slam events are losing popularity , their ridiculous Premier Mandatory/Premier5/Premier brands and absence of real stars outside top 3

[Optima]

Cincinnati is a fantastic tournament in an unusual place. Wonderful for tennis in mid-America. Unless you're from or around the area, you're just not going to get it.

[coolfish1103]

Originally Posted by NashaMasha

WHAT? It was won by the likes of Pauline Betz Addie and Alice Marble , It's one of the oldest tournament with great history and this 15 years break in women's part doesn't make it look like "Beijing"


As for attendance in Paris - it's the same city where RG has a huge crowd and attendance. It's just WTA's fault that their non Slam events are losing popularity , their ridiculous Premier Mandatory/Premier5/Premier brands and absence of real stars outside top 3

15 year break? It wasn't held from 1974-1987 and 1989-2003. They are not the same historical event anymore after you have such long period of lapse. I wouldn't even call Tokyo the same event after 2008. It's just not the same.

The tournament can stay in Cincy, just not w/a Premier 5 status.

There are just too many big events in North America and the U.S. Same with China, I don't see why Wuhan deserves a Premier 5 event besides having $$$.

Originally Posted by Optima

Cincinnati is a fantastic tournament in an unusual place. Wonderful for tennis in mid-America. Unless you're from or around the area, you're just not going to get it.

Yep, I don't get it.

[A-Bond]

Well the tournament certainly has suffered after the retirement of Mauresmo, Pierce, Golovin and Henin, who were crowd-favourites. Somehow it doesn't work with Bartoli.

The Open GDF Suez is my favourite tournament, but I do have to agree that the attendance so far has been very disappointing. You also have to include that the Stadiums in China are much bigger than the Stade Coubertin, so you know that there are really not many spectators when the seats are 10% filled.

I really hope the attendance will be bigger for the weekend, it's such a cool tournament and I don't wanna see another Indoor event being cancelled.

[A-Bond]

Overall it's probably not the best idea to have a tournament like this in such a city like Paris. When people in Paris want to watch Tennis then they go for Roland Garros or even Paris-Bercy. Why care about a women's event with a mediocre field?

Cities like Eastbourne, Luxembourg or -s'Hertogenbosch do not have many great sport events, therefore the people there really appreciate having a WTA-Tournament.

[jedw]

1. There is no such thing as SEWTA
2. Seemed like a pretty lively crowd last match I saw from Paris.

/thread

[Patrick345]

The place was packed, when Bartoli was playing this year and last year. Was pretty full when Mladenovic was playing, too. Problem is the capacity of the place is probably somewhere between 500 and 1500. The 2nd court is probably holding a 100 seats. So when the 15000 seat stadium in China appears completely empty there are still as many people as in a packed European indoors event. For the final between Vika and Maria it was well packed. The Beijing final alone probably outdrew the whole events in Linz or Luxembourg. It´s not that shocking though considering that Beijing is twice as big in population as the whole of Austria and Luxembourg combined. The other problem is Europe has no outdoors hardcourt fascilities. It´s clay, grass, indoors settings. It´s just the reality of the situation that tennis is not that popular in Europe anymore. Asia can throw money at the best tennis players and actually get them. So that is where the Asian money goes for prestigious sports events. Tennis, Summer/Winter Olympics, or a World Cup. You cannot get the basketball or football players in their prime, because they play for equal or more money in Europe and the NBA.